HONG KONG – Turncoat - 1960
Rod Taylor headlines this 1960-61 series as a newsman stationed in Hong Kong. Taylor is constantly in trouble with various shady types who are always involving him in their troubles. It usually takes several round of fisticuffs, a dead body or two and a gun battle before things get settled. This is the ninth episode.
In this episode Taylor gets involved with Red Chinese journalist, Lisa Lu, who wants to defect. She wants Taylor to help her with the deed. No problem as far as Taylor is concerned. That is, till a king sized monkey wrench is thrown into the gears.
It seems that Lu has a boyfriend. The boyfriend, Christopher Dark, turns out to have plenty of baggage. First he is an ex US serviceman who had been captured during the Korean War. He had been one of the few who had stayed with the Reds after the conflict, and had refused to be exchanged. 10 years in Red China had of course cured him of any idea of where he would rather be.
Dark wants Taylor to arrange a meeting with his friend, Hong Kong Police Inspector, Lloyd Bochner. He wants to make a deal with the Police for some visas etc for Lu and himself. He has some info on a quarter million dollar shipment of heroin the Reds are making to the Hong Kong underworld. Bochner is of course interested in this and starts making some phone calls.
Dark, the double dealing swine knows about the heroin for the very good reason that he is the courier. He wants the visas and whatever else he can get. The Hong Kong mob is not amused with this, and soon grabs Lu. Hand over the drugs or they kill the woman. Dark has no intention of going to see the crooks. Taylor steps in to make the transfer.
Bochner and the Police will then swoop in and grab up the gangsters in turn. Needless to say this idea goes the way of the dodo. The Police lose track of which car they are following. This forces Taylor, always quick on his feet, to improvise during the meeting with the mob. He almost pulls it off when the one gangster, Val Avery, tumbles to Taylor's act.
Guns are swiftly produced and a general free for all starts. Bochner, with his boys in tow, make up for their tardiness and come smashing through the doors. Gangster Avery and Taylor engage in a first-rate dust up with Taylor finishing as the victor.
The crooks and the heroin are all taken into Police custody. Lu decides that Dark is a first rate heel and wants nothing further to do with him. She will stay in Hong Kong.
Helming this episode, was actress, turned director, Ida Lupino. Fans know her acting work from, OUT OF THE FOG, WOMAN IN HIDING, PRIVATE HELL 36, WOMAN'S PRISON, BEWARE MY LOVELY, WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS, ROADHOUSE, THE BIG KNIFE and ON DANGEROUS GROUND. Her directing work included the feature films, OUTRAGE, THE BIGAMIST and THE HITCH-HIKER.
Philip Lathorp handled the d of p chores. The two-time Oscar nominated Lathorp lensed, THE PINK PANTHER, EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, LONELY ARE THE BRAVE, SOLDIER IN THE RAIN, THE CINCINNATI KID, THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY, HARD TIMES and POINT BLANK.
Rod Taylor headlines this 1960-61 series as a newsman stationed in Hong Kong. Taylor is constantly in trouble with various shady types who are always involving him in their troubles. It usually takes several round of fisticuffs, a dead body or two and a gun battle before things get settled. This is the ninth episode.
In this episode Taylor gets involved with Red Chinese journalist, Lisa Lu, who wants to defect. She wants Taylor to help her with the deed. No problem as far as Taylor is concerned. That is, till a king sized monkey wrench is thrown into the gears.
It seems that Lu has a boyfriend. The boyfriend, Christopher Dark, turns out to have plenty of baggage. First he is an ex US serviceman who had been captured during the Korean War. He had been one of the few who had stayed with the Reds after the conflict, and had refused to be exchanged. 10 years in Red China had of course cured him of any idea of where he would rather be.
Dark wants Taylor to arrange a meeting with his friend, Hong Kong Police Inspector, Lloyd Bochner. He wants to make a deal with the Police for some visas etc for Lu and himself. He has some info on a quarter million dollar shipment of heroin the Reds are making to the Hong Kong underworld. Bochner is of course interested in this and starts making some phone calls.
Dark, the double dealing swine knows about the heroin for the very good reason that he is the courier. He wants the visas and whatever else he can get. The Hong Kong mob is not amused with this, and soon grabs Lu. Hand over the drugs or they kill the woman. Dark has no intention of going to see the crooks. Taylor steps in to make the transfer.
Bochner and the Police will then swoop in and grab up the gangsters in turn. Needless to say this idea goes the way of the dodo. The Police lose track of which car they are following. This forces Taylor, always quick on his feet, to improvise during the meeting with the mob. He almost pulls it off when the one gangster, Val Avery, tumbles to Taylor's act.
Guns are swiftly produced and a general free for all starts. Bochner, with his boys in tow, make up for their tardiness and come smashing through the doors. Gangster Avery and Taylor engage in a first-rate dust up with Taylor finishing as the victor.
The crooks and the heroin are all taken into Police custody. Lu decides that Dark is a first rate heel and wants nothing further to do with him. She will stay in Hong Kong.
Helming this episode, was actress, turned director, Ida Lupino. Fans know her acting work from, OUT OF THE FOG, WOMAN IN HIDING, PRIVATE HELL 36, WOMAN'S PRISON, BEWARE MY LOVELY, WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS, ROADHOUSE, THE BIG KNIFE and ON DANGEROUS GROUND. Her directing work included the feature films, OUTRAGE, THE BIGAMIST and THE HITCH-HIKER.
Philip Lathorp handled the d of p chores. The two-time Oscar nominated Lathorp lensed, THE PINK PANTHER, EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, LONELY ARE THE BRAVE, SOLDIER IN THE RAIN, THE CINCINNATI KID, THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY, HARD TIMES and POINT BLANK.
